Wolfy
by iheartinuyasha
Summary: Kagome pulls Kouga to safety after he is injured when Naraku takes the shards from his legs.  They become trapped in the cave she sought refuge in and learn a few things about each other...very interesting things.


The cave rumbled under her fingertips as she heard Inuyasha unleash another one of his powerful attacks. The rubble blocking the cave entrance was blocking all of the light into the small crevice, and Kagome had to use some small candles she happened to have in her giant, yellow backpack. Too wary of sucking the last of the oxygen out of the cave, she only lit one at a time.

"Ka-," Kouga gasped as he tried to sit up.

"Kouga, no!" She hurried to him and knelt so that he could rest his head in her lap. "Please, don't move." Gently, she brushed the dirt and debris from his hair and face. She glanced at his legs and her lips fell into a grimace. Naraku had managed to take the jewel shards from his legs. She had rushed to his side, against Inuyasha's shouts of protest, and had pulled him to safety just before the entrance had caved in. She'd used some of her extra clothes to wrap around the gaping holes in his legs. The skin his armor and furs didn't protect was covered in gashes. Thankfully, she'd managed to get the bleeding stopped and just had to wait for his demon blood to heal him completely.

"Thank you," Kouga whispered. Surprised, Kagome glanced down to see his eyes open.

"Don't thank me yet," she said. "We're still trapped in here." Just as she was speaking, she felt a wave of power ripple over the cave. All the sounds from outside were immediately muted and she wrinkled her brows in confusion.

"I felt it too," he said.

"I think it's a barrier," Kagome told him as she adjusted his head to rest on her backpack so she could inspect the wall of the cave. She reached out a hand and brushed it across the rocky obstruction. Electricity shot up her arm and through her whole body, paralyzing her on the spot. Kagome screamed out as liquid pain filled every cell in her body.

"Kagome!" Kouga shouted, trying desperately to reach for her. He managed to use his arms to crawl toward her.

"Do-, don't t-touch me!" she gasped. She waited for the pain to end, for the effect to fade. Slowly, very slowly, the pain ebbed away until there was nothing left. Kouga reached out and offered his hand and she took it, unsteady on her feet. She leaned against him and tried to calm her racing heart.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while," his deep voice echoed in the cave.

"How are you feeling," Kagome asked, looking down at his legs.

"Don't worry about me," he grumbled. "Save your energy for thinking of a way out of this."

Kagome nodded but reached down to take off one of the shirts she had tied around his shin. The wound was mostly sealed, to her relief. She didn't doubt that in a few hours he would be completely healed. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. How were they going to get out of this?

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Kagome hadn't realized she was sleeping until she rolled over and cracked her hand off of Kouga's armor. The _thwang_ reverberated off the walls of the cave, laughing at her. She shook the maimed limb to relieve it some and snuck a peek at Kouga.

It was obvious that they had been sleeping curled up next to each other. His arm was still stretched out, where her head had been resting in the crook of it. Her arm had been wrapped around his bare middle. That explained the armor, cast to her other side, forgotten as he tried to get comfortable. She checked Kouga's legs. Completely healed aside from two small red marks on the fronts of his shins. She sighed, relieved.

"I could wake up to that sound every day for the rest of my life," Kouga mumbled sleepily.

Kagome could feel her cheeks heat up. She distracted herself with her yellow bag, shuffling around its contents to find something to snack on. She pulled out a half eaten bag of pretzels and two juice boxes. Not quite the elegant meal she would have wanted, but it would have to do.

"Would you like something to munch on?" she asked, offering the pretzels. She poked the plastic straw through the liner and handed it to Kouga. He looked at it, eyebrows raised. She caught his look and giggled. "You have to suck on it," she said.

His eyes met hers and widened, the obvious innuendo making them both turn red. He did as she instructed and took a sip of the juice. "This is good. What is it?" he asked, holding the cardboard carton at eye level.

"It's apple juice. Sorry I didn't have anything better."

"Any meal shared with you, Kagome, is one I'll cherish," he replied.

He was always saying something thoughtful like that, she noted. She looked at him, saw him in the candle light. His eyes, so blue it make the sky look on in envy, his boyish features paling to the man he was becoming and his lean, strong physique. She'd noticed before, his charm, but she'd never actually stopped to see how handsome he was. "Why do you always say such nice things to me?" she asked before she could stop herself. She bit her lip, hoping it wasn't rude.

"Because I love you," he said, his eyes never leaving the juice box.

There was silence as she digested his words. The more she thought about it, the more her stomach filled with butterflies. Every smile, every wink and every time he held her hands, begging her to come home with him, she had those butterflies. Had she not noticed because she was too busy making sure Inuyasha was in check? She nodded to herself. Yes! She had butterflies for Kouga. Nibbling on the side of a pretzel, she peeked over at him without moving her face. The butterflies erupted, climbing higher in her throat. It dawned on her, that they were in a very secluded place. Very alone. And he was _very _nude from the waist up. Her eyes wandered over the brawny muscles in his arms, chest and stomach.

Kouga had stopped munching and was staring thoughtfully at the wall of the cave. "He doesn't deserve you, you know," he said finally. This brought Kagome up short. He hadn't noticed her ogling him but his words stopped her heart.

"He doesn't?" she asked.

He looked at her then, blue meeting brown. "You should never be a second choice for _anyone_," he finished. She felt her heart jump into her throat as he set the pretzels and their juice boxes on the ground beside them. "I know he loves you, but he will _never_ love you the way I do."

Kagome sucked in a breath. Her heart was beating so fast that she was sure she would pass out. Kouga brushed his knuckles over her cheek and leaned closer. The butterflies erupted again and she could feel her eyes close. He brushed his lips across hers once, twice before deepening the kiss. Sighing into his mouth, Kagome couldn't think of a better thing to be doing while stuck in a cave.

He softly kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheeks, her eyes and then rested his forehead against hers. "You're all I ever think about."

Empowered by his words, Kagome felt her body reacting as she crawled into his lap. She straddled his legs and pushed his shoulders down. He didn't protest, pulling her with him. Their lips met in a searing heat that sent chills up her spine. He mumbled something intelligible and ran the tip of his fingers along the bottom of her shirt. It pulled up a little and their skin grazed. Gasping at the feel of skin on skin, Kouga rolled them, his hand behind her head. Realizing their position, Kagome's eyes widened. She tried not to close them but the things his lips were doing to hers made her eyes roll back.

He pulled away, just enough to look at her. Smiling as she looked up at him, he nuzzled her neck and laughed. "Kagome, I've dreamed about holding you in my arms for a very long time." He sat back and hoisted her into his arms. She sat, perched on his lap, as he continued nuzzling her neck. "Why?" he asked suddenly.

It was hard to think, the way his nose and mouth were rubbing the sensitive spot by her ear. "I don't think I knew how I felt," she answered. "I was too worried about everything else to think about how I really feel about you."

He gazed at her.

"I'm sorry," she continued. "I feel like I short-handed you somehow."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "All is forgiven."

"How can you forgive me if you don't know what I'm apologizing for?"

"I can forgive you because I love you, Kagome. The only thing you can hurt on me is my heart," he smiled. He was laying it all out for her. He was opening himself up for her, knowing who she had chosen to side with in the past. She felt drawn to him, wanted to be closer.

They sat and talked for hours. Whenever there was a break in conversation, it dawned on Kagome that everything around them was still very silent. She looked through her backpack and found a small piece of candy. She tossed it gently against the cave wall. It stuck, electrified to the stone and then melted into the dirt.

"So much for getting out of here," she sighed.

"I can't complain," Kouga said, bumping his knee against hers. "Do you think the well will close when the jewel is complete?" his voice took on a serious tone.

"I hope not," she looked at him, realizing she had more to lose than ever.

"I want you to be with me when this is all over," Kouga voiced. "I don't know what I'll do if the well closes."

A sudden swell of desperation overcame her. Kagome had to blink back tears at the thought of never seeing him, or any of her friends for that matter, ever again. She didn't confirm or deny that fact that she might want to be with him too. It didn't seem fair to get either of their hopes up just to be ripped away from one another.

"I'll wait for you, you know?" he said, reading her face and guessing her thoughts. "If the well closes and you're taken away from me, I'll wait the 500 years and I'll find you."

A single tear spilled over and rolled down her cheek. He kissed it away. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," she muttered.

They leaned closer and the cave walls began to rumble. Debris was falling all around them and cracks were forming on the front wall. Kouga buried Kagome's face in his chest and covered her protectively. The walls began to crumble and fall away from the two as light erupted, momentarily blinding them.

"Get your worthless hands off her," Inuyasha shouted from within the dust cloud. A breeze rolled away the cloud to reveal what looked like a battle field. The earth was torn and mangled. And as Kagome squinted at Inuyasha, she noticed he was limping and leaning heavily on his sword. Sango was kneeling nearby, Miroku supporting her, as she wept. In her arms was Kohaku's limp body. Sesshomaru was standing stoically near Kagura's fallen body.

"What happened?" Kagome asked, rushing to Inuyasha to check his wounds. His injuries seemed to be the worst.

"We sent that bastard Naraku to hell," he stated, glaring at Kagome as she tugged his haori open to get a better look at a gash on his shoulder. "What were _you_ two doing?" He eyed Kouga critically. Something was different.

"We were trapped. The cave had a barrier around it. We couldn't even hear what was going on out here. So, you mean Naraku's really dead?" Kagome asked, still afraid that it was just another puppet.

"Take a look for yourself," Inuyasha said, holding out the completed Jewel. It was a sickly purple color and as soon as it was placed in Kagome's hands, it turned a glistening white.

"I forgot what it looked like whole," she mumbled.

Kouga walked up to her side and pressed a hand to her shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean _'what are you going to do'_ you ass. She's going to purify it and get rid of it," Inuyasha snapped. Kouga held his tongue, much to everyone's surprise. Everyone except for Kagome. She was staring blankly at the jewel, her lips parted slightly.

"Kagome?" Miroku said, pulling Sango with him. She wiped a tear trail off her cheek and nudged her friends shoulder.

Kagome blinked slowly then looked at everyone. "Let's get back to the well and I'll finish it."

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Sesshomaru took Kagura's body to be buried on his castle grounds. And Sango decided to bury Kohaku by Kaeda's village. She wanted his soul to rest in a peaceful place. A few days later they all assembled at the clearing.

Kagome's stood with her back to the well and faced each of her friends. She walked up to Sango and whispered to her how she would never have a closer friend or sister like her. They giggled as Kagome told her to keep Miroku in line. She walked up to Miroku next and pulled him into a hug. She thanked him for his _mostly_ wise advice and told him to behave himself. He grinned devilishly and pinched Sango's behind. She kissed Shippou and told him to stay with Sango and Miroku and to grow into a fine demon. She wiped away a tear as she came to Inuyasha. He grabbed her hand and led her away from the small group.

"Kagome," he sighed. "You know I'm no good with words." She smiled. Of course she knew. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're my best friend," he mumbled in her ear. He glanced back at Kouga, his eyebrows furrowing. "I know how you feel about him. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Kagome's smile faded at the look on his face. "Inuyasha," she started.

He stopped her with a shrug. "I guess I just took too long to tell you how I feel. I'll always be here for you, you know." He kissed her cheek and they walked back together to the group.

Kouga stepped forward, picked her up and slammed his mouth on hers in a searing kiss. The others had the decency to look away from the two. Kagome pulled back, unable to keep the tears away as he set her gently on her feet. She looked deep into his eyes and smiled.

Through her tears, she managed to send each one of them one last happy glance. Putting the jewel in her hand before her, she closed her eyes and felt her mind being pulled into it.

_A selfless wish._

She heard the simple phrase echo and a single thought popped into her mind.

"Please rid this world of the jewel so that it never causes pain and suffering again."

It glowed a bright pink color and then dissipated into nothingness. Kagome opened her eyes. She was still in the clearing and her friends were peering at her curiously.

"I guess nothing-" Kagome started. A vortex opened up around the well and began to pull. Kouga lunged for her.

"No! Kagome!" His fingers wrapped around hers just before she was pulled deeper. "I love you," he said, tears falling down his face. She glanced at her friends, they were all running to her in slow motion. Looking back at Kouga, she stared at him in horror.

"Kouga, I lo-," was all she got out.

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Kagome sobbed at the bottom of the silent well. Fists punching the soft soil, she didn't notice when her mother came down and hugged her. "It's over," she cried, her heart broken.

When her mother finally managed to force her up the ladder and into the house, Kagome lay in her bed for days. She stopped eating and would wake up screaming the names of her friends. Her mother would comfort her as best she could. It was the day that Kagome softly muttered, "I didn't get to tell him," that her mother realized what had actually happened. It hadn't been Kagome's choice to come back.

Though, she began to recover as the days went on. A few weeks later, Kagome was tending to a small flower garden when a stranger walked up the steps of the shrine. He was a handsome man, Kagome noticed absentmindedly. "The shrine tour doesn't start for another hour," she announced before she turned back to her flowers.

He chuckled and a chill raced up her spine. She turned back to the man, who hadn't moved from his spot behind her. Standing, Kagome didn't seem to notice her knees shaking. Her attention was focused on the cobalt blue eyes that were staring at her. She turned her head to give herself a different angle. Blue eyes, dark brown, almost black, hair cut short, mussed and tousled attractively. Her hands started to shake in time with her knees as she saw a fang protrude over the side of the man's smile.

Walking up to her slowly, the man pulled her close, careful not to frighten her. He leaned down and put his lips against her. It was like that one movement had taken him back to that day. The _last_ day. He sighed. She still felt perfect in his arms. He pulled her tighter as the tears began to stream down her face.

"I told you I'd wait for you," he whispered.

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Okay, here's my newest oneshot! Hope you like it. I've had this story floating in my head for a while and it was all I could think about, so I had to get it out before I could update my other stories. I know I don't update the way I should, going months between, making your mouths hang open at the cliff-hangers, and probably making a few of you a little angry. I promise that it'll be worth the wait. So, leave me a review and tell me what you think. I honestly wouldn't find as much joy in writing Inuyasha fanfiction if it weren't for those of you who leave me comments. I love hearing what you think. Please check out my other stories...a fan-favorite is "Finding Comfort," a story that I am working on that only has one epic chapter left. Thanks for everything you do and all the support.

love,

iheartinuyasha


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